


Two Out Of Three

by Skylar0Grace



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-07
Updated: 2010-02-07
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6710488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar0Grace/pseuds/Skylar0Grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You can’t change the past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Out Of Three

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’ by Meatloaf and I tried to incorporate some of the more common phrases from the lyrics into the fic :P

“Listen, we can talk about this all night but we’ll just keep going round in circles. I’ve told you everything I can; I just can’t do this anymore.”

“You’re a liar Alec,” Claire said as tears slipped down her face. Alec sighed.

“Claire, there’s nothing you can do. It’s me, not you; I just can’t change the way I feel.”

“Get out!” she screamed. Alec looked toward the window before turning back to her pleadingly.

“Claire, it’s almost a blizzard outside, you can’t make me go out in this weather.”

“I have given you everything Alec; I’ve tried to show you how much I love you because nothing I say gets through. I’ve told you til I’m blue in the face, til my throat is sore from yelling but you keep on turning me away. You’re so cold sometimes Alec that I might as well cry icicles instead of tears! You said you weren’t looking for a mate and I accepted that. But I didn’t think you meant never!”

Alec flinched. He didn’t want to hurt her but if he stayed with her, he certainly would.

“Claire, I want you. There are even times when I need you but I can’t ever love you and it’s unfair of me to hold onto you without it.” Alec stepped toward her and wiped away a tear that was trailing down her face. “Don’t be sad Claire. You’re beautiful Claire and you’re smart and funny and any guy would be so lucky to have you but you’re looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks. I can’t lie Claire, I can’t give you something that I just haven’t got, no matter how much I want to.”

“Why Alec? Why? Please just tell me why you can’t love me. You keep telling me that any guy would be lucky to have me but obviously you’re not one of them.” Alec tried to ignore the bitterness in her voice as he brushed hair away from her face. She leaned into his hand and he pulled it away quickly. He had to make it a clean break so that she could move on. He needed to tell her the truth.

“There’s only one girl that I’ll ever love,” he began. Claire took in a sharp breath and couldn’t mask the hurt written across her face. “And it was months ago.”

Alec began pacing the living room floor as Claire sat on the lounge and listened to his confession.

“And though I know I’ll never get her out of my heart, I know she didn’t love me back.” He gave her a sad smile. “I remember the night she left: it was pouring outside and she just kissed me and climbed out of the bed and got dressed as quickly as she could. I tried to stop her, I tried to get her to stay but she told me she couldn’t.”

Alec saw it as plain as day and even though at the time he knew it was a mistake, he couldn’t help it. If it had been at any time other than her heat, she wouldn’t have even given him the time of day. When she’d come banging on his door, he had tried to turn her away but she’d kept away so long already that the pheromones were too strong and neither of them had a chance.

Their bodies had fit so perfectly together that he was sure she would have changed her mind; that she would have seen what he'd seen.

“She knew that we had this chemistry, it had been obvious since we first met but she said that none of it mattered. It didn’t matter how much she wanted me, or needed me; she was in love with someone else.”

“Alec,” Claire said as she stood and walked toward him, “she’s not here and she loves someone else. Why can’t you just love me?”

“I know that she is the only one who could be my mate, even if I’m not hers,” he said simply,

“Please Alec,” she pleaded as she clasped his hands, “can’t we just try? I think you’ll get over her, you just need to give it time.”

He pulled his hands out of hers and took a step back. He closed his eyes and tried to put the memories back where they had been. He shouldn’t have let them surface again.

“Claire, we can talk all night but it’s not getting us anywhere. I’m sorry.”

Despite the cold, he picked up his duffle bag and walked out the door. He crossed the snow outside and didn’t even turn back to where he knew she was waiting. He rubbed his hands together to keep warm and made his way to his old apartment building. He pulled the key from his pocket and walked into the warm interior.

He hadn’t been here in so long but it still looked the same. No one had lived here in the last couple of months; he’d kept it empty just in case – that in itself should have told him something.

He threw his bag on the bed in his room, the room that was now bittersweet, and walked back into the living room and sat heavily on the couch. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t put those memories away, they continued to haunt him. He should have seen it; he should have seen that she still loved him, that that night hadn’t meant the same to her.

Alec was stilled in his thoughts as a knock on his door rang out. He sighed. He didn’t think Claire would follow him and try to reason with him: he thought she’d stay away. When he opened the door, his breath was taken away by the woman in front of him. She still looked as beautiful as ever and he knew, he just knew, in that moment that he was right – there never would be someone else who could take her place.

“Did I forget something?” he asked curiously.

He was sure that he’d done all of his paperwork before he had left but he knew if he’d forgotten something, she’d be the one to find it. Working day in and day out with her was slowly killing him and he had been contemplating taking a new position or just leaving TC altogether.

“I lied,” she said suddenly and he frowned at her confused. He tried to think back on the day and remember something she could have lied about.

“I could love you and I know it’s too little, too late but I thought you should know. I haven’t been avoiding you because I can’t stand you; I’ve been avoiding you because I can. I didn’t think we would ever be friends and then…we were. And I thought it was impossible for me to fall in love with you, but somewhere along the line…”

Alec’s brain quickly processed what she was saying but he needed her to say it before he could move; his body wouldn’t allow him to otherwise. She took his silence negatively and sighed deeply, sad that she had missed the opportunity. She knew she had to tell him and leave with whatever dignity she had left.

“I love…” she began but he couldn’t wait. He reached forward and pulled her close, kissing her and trying to make up for all of the lost kisses. He pulled back and she saw a small smile on his lips.

“…you,” she finished. Alec smiled and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them.

“I love you too Maxie.”

“You know, two out of three ain’t bad,” Max said as she looked up into his face.

Alec shook his head. “It’s not enough.”

“No, it’s not,” Max replied as she pulled him in for another bruising kiss. “It’s really not.”


End file.
